Michael Vick, I’ll never cheer for you

Commentary: I can’t forgive this dog abuser

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Did you see that the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League just gave quarterback Michael Vick a $100 million deal spread over six years? Yes, the same Vick who was convicted of financing a dog-fighting ring.

It turns out that $40 million is guaranteed, according to media reports, meaning that if Vick only plays one down this season, gets injured and never returns to the football field, he still receives 40 million bucks from the Eagles.

The whole thing makes me sick.

Yes, still.

I have a hard time forgetting the atrocities he committed against dogs. I’m still very angry about that, and I’m holding a grudge. I recognize that America is a forgiving nation and we love to cheer for second-chance success stories. Nike
NKE, +0.10%
has re-signed Vick to be a symbol of the company.

Football's $100 million man

(4:35)

Michael Vick has signed a six-deal with the Philadelphia Eagles worth a reported $100 million. It's a big comeback for the former pro-bowler who spent 18 months in federal prison on dogfighting charges. Lee Hawkins has details on Lunch Break.

But what Vick did turns my stomach. His level of cruelty seems unimaginable. And how he is being paid as an American hero. It just seems wrong.

I’m glad I don’t have to work as a beat writer covering the Eagles. I’d have a hard time writing about Vick’s heroics on the gridiron. Journalists are famously objective about their subjects (wink, wink) but I couldn’t be dispassionate about Vick. I’d be secretly rooting for him to fail.

As a fan, I’m thankful that my team, the New York Giants, didn’t sign Vick. I can’t imagine how some of the football writers and the Eagles fans are so quick to welcome him. I have been a Giant fan for my entire life. But if the team had signed Vick, I might have switched allegiances.

Yes, I know the counter argument. Vick served 20 months in prison. He did his time. He paid his debt to society. Now he should be allowed to pursue a career, like me, you or anybody else, especially rehabilitated former convicts.He should have that privilege — but I also retain the right not to be a fan of his.

And I understand, too, that sports is now an entrenched part of the entertainment industry, just as much as it has to do with the sports scene. The two big businesses are intertwined to a point where you can hardly separate one from the other.

Reuters

NFL quarterback Michael Vick faced the media in 2007 when he was charged with dog-fighting charges. Now, he’s back on top.

Notorious stars like Michael Vick give sports a certain pizzazz and fans love that sort of thing nowadays. The Eagles, a franchise that has never won a championship in the Super Bowl era, believe they’re very close to reaching the promised land — and the Eagles think Vick is the man to get them there.

A few years ago, it would have seemed impossible to believe that Vick could enjoy such acclaim. Vick’s saga is one of the most well publicized comeback stories in recent history. Even in an era when a plethora of professional athletes have disgraced themselves, their families and their teams, Vick stands out in many people’s minds.

He was the Atlanta Falcons’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 college draft and quickly established himself as one of the league’s best and most exciting players. A favorite of such sponsors as Nike, he was on the cover in 2004 of a popular video game featuring former NFL great John Madden published by Electronic Arts
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He was one of the wealthiest athletes in all of sports at the time.

But in 2007, Vick was arrested on dog-fighting charges and ended up serving time in prison. He pleaded guilty to a federal charge of bankrolling dog-fighting in Virginia and served for 20 months in a federal prison. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and told a judge he was earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison, CNN.com noted.

He returned to the Eagles as a lowly third-string quarterback. When he got a chance to play, he energized the team with his stylish running and passing. The Eagles quickly became one of the most feared squads in the NFL, largely because of Vick’s exploits.

As the new NFL season dawns, the Eagles are being picked by many observers to go to the Super Bowl. The reason? Michael Vick.

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